Top 10 Valentina Moments on RuPaul's Drag Race
Words or no words, this queen always brings us Latin diva realness. Welcome to MsMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Valentina Moments from RuPaul's Drag Race.
For this list we're highlighting Valentina's most iconic actions on "Drag Race." We're basing our choices on a mix of raw energy, surprising talents and the finesse that keeps Valentina a constant joy to watch each season. This is for the main competition only, so we're excluding any clips from "Untucked!" This covers both of her seasons too, so a SPOILER ALERT is in order.
#10: Her Poses As She Enters the Werk Room
Multiple Episodes
Top 20 Drag Race All Stars Werk Room Entrances
Though she was certainly fabulous on season nine of "Drag Race," Valentina stepped up her non-drag looks for "All Stars." This meant each daily entrance to the Werk Room had a unique flair and a dramatic pose to match. Valentina's bit was so fun that the producers clearly started framing walk-ins just to show off her modelling. Regardless of the style, her fellow queens started mocking her and even doing impressions for fun. Valentina comically acknowledged it herself too by noting when she was just wearing a bland look. A true star in and out of drag, Valentina's Werk Room antics showed viewers that queens could still bring it off-stage.
#9: "Reunited" Quotes
"Reunited"
Given how surprising Valentina's departure from "RuPaul's Drag Race" was, she was full of interesting comments for the reunion episode. She admitted her regret over her elimination, but laughably bragged about how entertaining it was in retrospect. While her nods to Spanish soap operas were funny as well, she kept fans giggling over jokes about new projects too. But it was all the fighting with her fellow contestants that kept us glued to the TV, especially once Farrah Moan started bickering. Farrah got so out of hand that we were also treated to Valentina's satisfying shut down of the whole spat. (xref) And whether you loved her or hated her, it was hard to deny that Valentina kept the reunion exciting.
#8: Praying to Her Drag Mother to Help Her Win
"She Done Already Done Brought It On"
Valentina celebrated her culture a lot on-screen, part of which was a prayer candle to the Virgin of Guadalupe. But what was surprising was hearing her refer to Guadalupe as her drag mother, because of how it inspired her to keep going. Valentina's prayers were one of her rare innocent moments on season nine, though she still injected some comedy for the cameras with her zany whispering too. The baffled reactions from her fellow queens were hysterical as well, especially when they questioned why she didn't simply focus on actual work. Unique as it was to see a contestant touch on religion on "Drag Race," Valentina's spin on Guadalupe was constantly smile-inducing.
#7: Her Variety Show Performance
"All Star Super Queen Variety Show"
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Valentina had a lot to prove when she returned for All Stars, so it was fitting that she prepared a lipsync for her Variety Show Ru-demption. She started off with a joke about her infamous mask scandal, eager to show she had more depth than the meme she had become. So while her intro definitely had us laughing, she followed it up with a tight performance and spot-on Spanish lyrics. The change in language alone was a cool switch of pace for the show, but her exceptional dance moves really pushed the routine over the top. With such a fierce combination of talents, it was surprising more queens weren't reacting like Latrice Royale.
#6: Her All Stars Exit Speech
"Queen of Clubs"
Top 10 RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars 7 Moments
Despite her comedy with the "Club 96" skit, Valentina still ended up getting eliminated that same episode. Her warmer approach on All Stars however had people crying as she left. Heck, Latrice could barely get through sending her home without falling apart. Valentina showed a lot of growth as she sashayed away with a smile, and reminded everyone she was going in style. There was also a notable sense of grace and humility to her final words, as she spoke about her renewed confidence in her own individuality while also lamenting over the fact that she had to pack up all her stuff.
#5: Deodorant Read
"RuPaul Roast"
During the season 9 reading challenge, rather than relying on wordplay like many of the other queens, Valentina started by asking all her competitors to stretch their arms to the ceiling. Though it sounded like relaxing yoga at first, she used the exercise to laughably roast Shea Couleé's body odor. Her clever flip of Peppermint's own name was brilliantly comical in itself too, (xref) but her outside-the-box setup for Shea was much more creative. And while Valentina eventually dropped a brutally cutting pun on Latrice in "All Stars" (xref), her physical humor packed more of a punch here. After some ditzy behavior in the competition, this fiery burn reminded fans that Valentina could bite back when needed. Although she could use some help on her word count...
#4: The Madonna "Black Bars" Look
"Snatch Game"
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There were higher expectations for the second Madonna-themed runway on "Drag Race," and Valentina chose a deep cut. As an homage on Madonna's naked photo book, she emerged wearing nothing but black bars. Valentina's choice to go fully nude accented her body well, and proved to be more impressively risqué than risky. Amongst a lot of show-stopping runway looks, (xref) this unexpected minimalist outfit stood out the most. And it made for some great comedy when she had to take the bars off the next episode as well. (xref) Between the obscure reference and an ambitious lack of clothing, Valentina breathed new life into a Madonna classic.
#3: Her Lip Sync to "Into You"
"Super Girl Groups, Henny"
Top 10 RuPaul's Drag Race Lip Sync Moments of 2021
Powerful showings in an "All Stars" girl group challenge put Valentina against Monét X Change for a lip sync. With the shame of her masked lip sync fiasco to get over, Valentina humbly acknowledged it was a do or die moment to redeem herself. So it was utterly satisfying to see her go all out with sensual moves across the stage, as she pulsated her whole body to the beat of Ariana Grande's "Into You." In fact, she was spinning so much that even a split from Monét couldn't distract the judges for long. Besides, Valentina's non-stop movement helped her pull out a win that didn't need gimmicky power moves to begin with.
#2: Miss Colombia
"Snatch Game"
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With Miss Colombia's mistakenly announced victory at the Miss Universe pageant still in the headlines during season nine, Valentina had a timely character for "Snatch Game." The persona gave RuPaul and the other queens plenty of material to riff on as well, especially as Colombia was introduced. Valentina's crying breakdown was a hysterical decision, and one that went against the typical stream of joke answers. But it was her comparison of Ru and Steve Harvey that earned the most laughs. Valentina also kept adding to the look with teary makeup and hair that comically got worse and worse. All the melodrama kept RuPaul giggling, and assured that each second of Valentina's minimal screen-time in "Snatch Game" mattered.
Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
Makeup Tutorial
"Your Pilot's On Fire"
Prom Queen
"9021-HO"
I Can See
"Oh. My. Gaga!"
Her Super Girl Group Performance
"Super Girl Groups, Henny"
French Vanilla Fantasy
"Queen of Clubs"
#1: "I'd Like to Keep the Mask on"
"Your Pilot's on Fire"
Top 20 Most Rewatched RuPaul's Drag Race Moments
By the time she faced off with Nina Bo'Nina Brown in a lip sync, Valentina had done well enough on season nine to seem like the obvious winner. But with her mask still on from the Club Kid-based runway challenge, Valentina's performance of "Greedy" had RuPaul calling for a restart. Though it appeared like a simple mistake at first, It was shocking to find out she hadn't learned her words. After so many jaw-dropping challenges, it was disappointing for Valentina to lose on such an amateur mistake. Her overly dramatic attempt to hide was referenced in more than a few episodes, and even got a whole song parody by Alaska. So however bad her mask slip-up was, it has easily become her most discussed moment.
